Depending on what happens with Derrick Henry, the Tennessee Titans will be in the market for a running back this offseason to pair with rookie standout, Tyjae Spears.
Knowing that, Pro Football Focus’ Jon Macri believes the Titans are the best landing spot for Las Vegas Raiders pending free agent running back, Josh Jacobs.
The former first-round pick had a down year in 2023 with 805 rushing yards and six scores, two totals that were half what he tallied in 2022 when he won a rushing crown.
However, Jacobs was also part of a lackluster Raiders offense that saw its play-caller fired and a few quarterback changes. Adding to that, he missed four games due to injury.
Jacobs, who was franchised-tagged last year (and can be franchised-tagged again in 2024) before getting a one-year deal, is indeed an ideal fit for what Tennessee needs to complement Spears because he can do the dirty work between the tackles and in short-yardage and goal-line situations.
The problem is, he’ll be looking for top dollar on the open market should he avoid the franchise tag. Now, that’s not to say he’ll get it, but chances are he’ll be more expensive than just about any back that will be available.
After spending top dollar on Henry for years (and rightly so), I don’t think the Titans will be inclined to pay anything remotely approaching that, especially with Spears in tow and the offense moving to a more pass-centric model.
Instead, I expect Tennessee to go with a cheaper veteran option (like D’Onta Foreman or Gus Edwards, for example) and/or a rookie back from the 2024 NFL draft.
